I have been doing alot of watching the AMC series, “Mad Men” on DVD this summer. It is so rare that my wife and I can find something we both like (she is not a fan of Lost or 24). “Mad Men” is about Madison avenue advertising men in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The main character, Don Draper is a mysterious guy that works at a top boutique agency called, Sterling Cooper.
Every scene in this show either has cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, or sex (and sometimes all three). What is almost surreal about watching this show is to think how much business has changed and has not changed in the last 50 years.
What has changed:
1. Smoking at work: You can’t even smoke in buildings these days forget about smoking in a company.
2. Drinking at work: It still goes on more behind the scenese, but there are not brandy decanters and glasses in every office. Maybe the legal liability is catching up here.
3. Men as the executives and women as the secretaries: While it’s not equal, the gender roles in the office are more equal.
4. The clothes: What they wore to the office were much cooler than what we wear.
5. Cell phones, PDA, big offices: Shall I go on? Being able to keep track 24 X 7.
What has not changed:
1.People still do business with people they like: relationships and trust among people are still the key to business.
2.Office and extra marital affairs: but now its the men and women doing it.
3. Getting Ahead: People still want to move up and advance in companies and will play “company politics: to get it done. We still gossip but not around the water cooler.
4. You got to seem successful to be successful. You still need to “dress the part” and be confident in order to be successful. People are attracted to success and it breeds more of it.
5. Be Rich: Many people still want to be rich, drive fancy clothes and have a beach house on Long Island.
What do you think has changed or not changed in the last 50 years in business?
